(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a device for switching the transport direction of a recording material, and an image forming apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
Hitherto, sheet-transport-path switching devices using a gate system have been employed as devices for switching the transport direction of a sheet in a branch portion of a sheet transport path provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copier or printer using an electrophotographic system. In such a sheet-transport-path switching device using a gate system, a guide whose position is switched using a solenoid or the like is provided in the branch portion, the entrance of a transport path different from a selected transport path is blocked, and a sheet is transported to the selected transport path.